The invention relates to low density abrasive pads.
The use of low density abrasive pads for scouring pots and pans is known. These pads are typically nonwoven lofty open mats formed from randomly disposed fibers which are bonded at points where they intersect and contact each other with a binder which contains abrasive. One very successful commercial embodiment of such a pad is that sold under the trade designation "Scotchbrite" by the 3M Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Low density abrasive pads can be prepared by the method disclosed in Hoover et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,593. These pads are especially suited for pot and pan scouring because of their non-clogging and non-filling nature, when used in conjunction with soapy water. After use, they can be readily cleaned upon simple flushing with water, dried and left for substantial periods of time, and then re-used.
While these pads are extremely useful for cleaning pots and pans, they are typically too abrasive for cleaning non-stick plastic coatings on cookware and for cleaning plastic eating utensils. If they are made less abrasive, as they are for some purposes, they are not useful for scouring pots and pans. While attempts have been made to produce pads having one abrasive face and one polishing face (see, e.g., Sickle et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,171,151), such pads are required to be undesirably densified in their production and are thus not uniformly open and lofty.